Summary
- Valorant is combating cheaters with a new ranked rollback system. This reverses rank progression if a match is compromised by hackers.
- The goal is to punish cheaters and ensure fair play for all Valorant players.
- Players teamed with hackers will retain their rank, preventing unfair penalties.
Valorant is implementing ranked rollbacks to address a recent surge in hacking activity. Valorant's head of anti-cheat highlighted the severity of the situation, promising stronger action and detailing the new system.
Online games frequently grapple with cheaters seeking unfair advantages. While many companies employ various anti-cheat strategies, persistent hackers often find ways to circumvent them. Despite Valorant's reputation for a robust anti-cheat system (Vanguard), a recent increase in cheating has negatively impacted player experience. This prompted Riot Games to introduce stricter penalties.
Riot Games' head of anti-cheat, Phillip Koskinas, publicly acknowledged the problem on Twitter, assuring players of ongoing efforts to resolve it. A key component of this strategy is the upcoming implementation of ranked rollbacks—reversing rank changes in matches affected by cheating. Koskinas shared data illustrating the number of cheaters banned by Vanguard in January, peaking on January 13th.
Riot Games' Future Valorant Bans Will Include Ranked Rollbacks
Addressing concerns about players winning matches with cheaters on their team (unfair to both opponents and teammates), Koskinas clarified that players on the same team as hackers will retain their rank rating, while the opposing team will have theirs restored. While acknowledging potential inflationary effects, Koskinas expressed confidence in this approach.
Valorant's Vanguard system, utilizing kernel-level security, has proven highly effective in detecting and banning cheaters. Other popular games, such as Call of Duty, have adopted similar kernel-level anti-cheat methods. However, despite developers' efforts, cheaters consistently find new ways to infiltrate games.
Valorant has already banned thousands of players, offering hope to those frustrated by persistent hacking in ranked matches. Riot Games' commitment to addressing this issue and mitigating the recent wave of cheating is evident. The long-term effectiveness of the new ranked rollback system remains to be seen.
